I’ve been using a klymit static V for a few years now, and have been happy with it. On a recent backcountry hunting podcast I was listening to they were talking about how important r value is in a pad to keep you warm. Does anyone on here have experience with using insulated vs non Insulated? I look at the design of the insulated and have a hard time believing that little insulation ( 8 oz) over the total square inches of a pad would really make that much of a difference. But since I have no experience hard to say.
Insulation can make a huge difference. Your bag insulation under you is useless because your weight flattens it out. You're essentially sleeping on cold air. I have an R3 pad that's much warmer than just air. When it gets real cold, a simple ensolite pad on top of that makes it good down to 10 or lower. An R5 or higher is well worth it for cold weather camping. The problem is that R's add weight. You have to determine how much weight you're willing to add.
Some of the backpacking mats have R values over 5 at very little increase in weight compared to their uninsulated counterparts. I've a Thermarest NeoAir XTherm that is rated as 6.9, and while I've little notion of the accuracy of the rating, it makes a substantial difference over lesser rated pads.
I have the exact pad ribka mentions above. It is very comfortable, an R value of 3.7, weighs 1#11oz in rectangular large.
Took it to the ANWR last year on a DIY 10-day caribou hunt and couldn’t have been more pleased. I coupled it with a Western Mountaineering Sequoia bag and it worked great.
I would seriously recommend a larger size than you might think, as the extra width was very nice (I am 5’9”, 195#, and I was glad to have the larger size).
I had a couple of the Thermarest Neoairs when they first came out- very light and pretty warm (r 3.5), when the Xtherms (r 7) came out I got a couple for winter camping. After about a year I ended selling the Neoairs as the Xtherm didn't weigh that much more- now I use the Xtherm year round, in the dead of winter I'll add a closed cell foam pad underneath
I started backpacking 60 years ago. If we slept on anything other than the cold ground, we used foam pads because air mattresses were too expensive and too heavy.
When Thermarest came out with the CampRest self inflating pad, I was quick to get one. What an improvement in comfort. It was a heavier than the old foam pad but the difference in comfort was worth it.
Air mattresses have been around for a long time but they were heavy and prone to leaks. Then they came out with lightweight mattresses and I got one of those. They were even more comfortable than the self inflating mattress and they weighed less. But they were cold.
Then they came out with insulated air mattresses. Problem solved, right? I've used a ThermaRest NeoAir for many years. My grandson has a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core mattress and it is also good.
I've always seemed to have problems with inflatable pads developing leaks. So I carry half of a foam pad in an attempt to protect the air mattress from leaks, and as my backup mattresss just in case the air mattress leaks. When an air mattress leaks flat, you have no insulation at all and you might as well be sleeping on the cold ground.
A couple years ago, in May, I had backpacked into timberline at 11,200' and, in the middle of the night, my mattress leaked flat. I filled it up with air again and that lasted fan hour or so. I gave up on refilling it. Fortunately I had the half foam pad. That, plus my backpack kept me warm enough to make it through the night.
I've gone back to using a self inflating mattress. A t least when that leaks you still have some insulation.
I don't think that R value is all that important. Sure some insulation is good but that doesn't mean that more is better.
I don't think that R value is all that important. Sure some insulation is good but that doesn't mean that more is better.
I'd have to disagree; my older Neoairs were good to about freezing or so, my Xtherm is comfortable to zero- 3.2 vs 7 r value
if you're going to be carrying an additional ccf pad, then obviously you've just increased the r value and it will be comfortable to a lower temp- the r values are additive, so a 3.2 (Neoair) inflatable used with say a z rest ccf pad (2.0) gives you a r value for over 5 making that combo comfortable below freezing
what you have underneath you is almost as important as what you have on top of you in my experience
I don't think that R value is all that important. Sure some insulation is good but that doesn't mean that more is better.
I'd have to disagree; my older Neoairs were good to about freezing or so, my Xtherm is comfortable to zero- 3.2 vs 7 r value
if you're going to be carrying an additional ccf pad, then obviously you've just increased the r value and it will be comfortable to a lower temp- the r values are additive, so a 3.2 (Neoair) inflatable used with say a z rest ccf pad (2.0) gives you a r value for over 5 making that combo comfortable below freezing
what you have underneath you is almost as important as what you have on top of you in my experience
+1 MT. Also many people don’t take into consideration the bottom side of your sleeping bag is essentially being smashed by your body and not providing much in the way of warmth while you sleep.
yeah it's important enough that this year they completely revamped (and standardized) testing for pads; also of note the sleeping bag ratings which are also standardized call for a certain r value pad to test with
here's what Enlightened Equipment has to say about pad warmth